Loss On the evening of 5 October 2024
Manawanui ran aground around off
Siumu, on the south coast of
Upolu island,
Samoa, whilst carrying out survey work of a reef in rough seas and high winds. Commander Yvonne Gray gave the order for everyone to abandon the ship. All 75 crew on board were evacuated by four of the vessel's
life rafts and two
rigid hull inflatable boats early on 6 October. Rescue efforts were managed by the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre and the
Royal New Zealand Air Force deployed a
Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft to assist. The evacuation began at 7:52 p.m. on 5 October. The vessel caught fire by 6:40 a.m. on 6 October and capsized and sank by 9:00 a.m. many from cuts and abrasions from walking on the reef, and three received hospital treatment, including one for a dislocated shoulder. The crew and passengers, including seven scientists and four personnel from foreign militaries, were accommodated in Samoa before being flown to New Zealand. The RNZN was carrying out works to
salvage the vessel and mitigate the environmental impact of the sinking. The acting Samoan Prime Minister
Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio said in a press statement, "HMNZS Manawanui is not recoverable and has sunk into the ocean." The vessel is the first New Zealand naval vessel to be unintentionally sunk since World War II and the first to be lost in peacetime.
Friday 4 October 2024 22:00- Survey of Sinalei Reef commences.
Saturday 5 October 2024 18:11:13- Ship alters course to 340° in manual control.
18:13:08- Ship placed into autopilot.
18:14:47- Helm attempts course alteration to starboard. Ship fails to alter course.
18:15:20-
ECDIS alarm heard.
18:15:29-18:15:53- Increased demand on angle and power of thrusters.
18:15:57- Helm announces "no steering to starboard".
18:16:18- Helm announces “it’s not really doing what I want it to do.”
18:16:18-18:16:43- Crewmembers attempt to control the ship, again announcing "it's not really doing what I want it to do."
18:16:55 Captain called to the bridge.
18:17:18- "Nautical Emergency"
piped.
18:17:20- Captain arrives on bridge.
18:17:21-18:17:53- Crew continue to attempt to retake control of the ship.
18:17:59- Ship runs aground on the reef.
18:18:37- Emergency stations piped. Searches throughout the ship for damage and injuries commence.
18:18:49- Machinery Breakdown piped.
18:18:55-18:25:10- Crew search the ship, engineers close up and discussions continue on bridge about how to take control of the ship.
18:25:39- Searches complete.
18:27:34- Discussion about “do you want to take it out of auto now?”
18:27:43- Propulsion control regained, control switched from auto to manual.
18:28:00-18:42:40- Crew continues to attempt to stabilise the ship. Further grounding noises heard at 18:32:06.
18:43:20-
Mayday call made.
18:46:45- Captain pipes to prepare to abandon ship.
18:48:40- “Hands to liferaft stations, Hands to liferaft stations.” piped.
18:48:55- Captain pipes crew to tell them to prepare for their time in the liferafts, by wearing extra clothing and going to the bathroom.
18:50:00-18:50:10- Captain expedites the abandon ship due to the increasing roll of the ship.
18:54:20- Captain orders lifeboats to be launched.
18:55:00- Ship abandoned.
Sunday 6 October 2024 On 8 October local Samoan residents reported that the sinking caused an oil spill which threatened tourism and fishing in the local area. On the same day, the RNZN stated that while oil had leaked from
Manawanui as it sank naval divers who had inspected the wreck had not detected anything leaking from it. The Samoan Government concurred with this assessment. At this time the wreck was below the surface, with the ship lying on its side. The RNZN was considering options to remove fuels and other chemicals from the wreck. On 11 October local fishers reported fish covered in oil, and Samoan authorities confirmed a leak of of diesel and damage to the reef. The crew of a RNZAF Poseidon who overflew the wreck on this day also sighted a slick. RNZN divers determined that there was a leak emanating from the ship's engine room. Local Samoan residents expressed concerns about the impact of the ship's sinking on the maritime environment, and called for compensation and an independent inquiry. Tafitoala village representative Taloaileono Vasasou said that the oil leak was polluting the coast and contaminating their clam reserve while the senior
matai (chief) of Vaiee village Tuia Paepae Letoa reported that fish caught in the area were covered with oil. Residents of the Safata district convened a meeting to discuss the impact of the sinking and demand compensation. Due to the sinking, a stretch of coastal area near the wreckage site was closed to fishing on 7 October. Tafitoala matai and fisherman Afoa Patolo Afoa said that the sinking and resulting fishing ban would affect the livelihoods of many local residents. In late November 2024 former Samoan Member of Parliament Tuia Pu'a Leota told
Radio New Zealand that food supplies in the local district were low and called on both the Samoan and New Zealand governments to provide local communities with more information. He said that the impact of the ship's sinking was devastating for local villagers who depended on fishing for food and income. In early February 2025 Radio New Zealand reported that villagers in the Safata district had sought financial assistance from the Chinese Embassy in response to the Samoan government declining a request to provide affected communities with income and aid. Local villagers have not been allowed to fish in their area since the sinking of HMNZS
Manawanui. According to Safata district spokesperson Tuai Pu'a Leota, the Samoan and New Zealand governments had not adequately consulted with local village leaders or provided financial compensation. By 7 February Safata district community leaders had met with Chinese Embassy staff in Apia, who gave an initial donation of
WST$50,000 (
NZ$30,000) to assist with livelihood assistance. On 12 February the Samoan Government lifted a 20
km "precautionary zone" around the wreckage of HMNZS
Manawanui following testing by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS). However, a two km prohibition zone around the sunken ship remains in force. On 25 January 2025, the Samoan Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure's CEO Fui Tupai Mau Simanu confirmed to
RNZ Pacific that the Samoan and New Zealand governments were discussing compensation over the
Manawanui sinking at the request of affected communities. In late May 2025, RNZ Pacific reported that local villagers were still reluctant to fish in the area due to fears of contamination despite the Marine Pollution Advisory Committee advising it was safe to collect seafood. Some Tafitoala residents including Fagailesau Afaaso Junior Saleupu and Many Percival described the compensation amount of NZ$6 million as insufficient in managing the impact of the sinking on the local environment and questioned how the two governments would distribute the funds. New Zealand Foreign Minister
Winston Peters defended the compensation amount, saying that this was the amount requested by the Samoan government.
Salvaging On 15 October salvage work on
Manawanui began. The
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) salvage operation was called Operation Resolution and consisted of 60 personnel led by RNZN Deputy Chief of the Navy Commodore Andrew Brown. The NZDF was assisted by the Samoan government,
Maritime New Zealand and Samoa's Maritime Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC). The MPAC despatched divers to recover ship debris, conduct water contamination tests and develop a plan to remove the remaining fuel. MPAC chair Fui Mau Simanu reported that the sunken
Manawanui and its anchor chain had caused substantial damage to the reef covering an area of . In addition, the ship contained 960 tonnes of diesel fuel while three dislodged shipping containers were also causing damage to the reef. That same day,
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon formally apologised to the
Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and acting prime minister for the sinking of
Manawanui. That same day, the NZDF confirmed that the crew of
HMS Tamar had recovered
Manawanui navigation record book. The record book along with the ship's black box are expected to be used as key evidence in the court of inquiry.
New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins also confirmed there were small oil leaks from
Manawanui but said that Defence Force and Maritime New Zealand staff had not found any pollution on the shorelines or dead wildlife. On 19 October the NZDF announced that work to mitigate pollution from the wreckage would be scaled down during the
2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled for the following week. However, work to recover the three containers would continue over the weekend. That same day, Prime Minister Mataʻafa confirmed that dive and coastal operations in the Safata region would be temporarily suspended for a week. Samoan and New Zealand authorities agreed to focus on scaled-down monitoring and inspections during the week of the CHOGM. On 19 October, New Zealand and Samoan teams managed to remove one of the containers from the reef by nightfall. The two remaining containers, including the one containing food, were expected to be removed by 21 October depending on weather conditions. On 20 October
Radio New Zealand reported that an insurance surveyor had completed work on
Manawanui. The MPAC confirmed that it would hire a contractor to remove the remaining fuel from the sunken ship. Committee chair Simanu said that fuel salvaging was expected to start in mid-November 2024 and last about 20 days depending on weather conditions. On 21 October, the NZDF confirmed that NZ and Samoan teams had successfully removed the second container containing food supplies. On 23 October, the third container was removed from the reef following four days of coordination between the NZDF, local contractor Ark Marine and the support of Samoan authorities. The containers were disposed of at a nearby port while the food supplies were buried in a landfill. On 24 October, the NZDF said it was unable to provide a timeframe for removing the ship and its fuel tanks from the reef. On 18 November Deputy Chief of the Navy Andrew Brown confirmed that work to remove the fuel and other contaminants from HMNZS
Manawanui is expected to commence in December 2024. Fuel removal will be carried out by salvage companies Pacific 7 and Bay Underwater Services NZ. On 25 November, the NZDF dispatched a barge carrying salvage crew and equipment to assist in removing oil and other pollutants from the southern coast of Upola. The barge was towed by an ocean-going tug on a voyage expected to last 10 to 11 days. On 24 December, the NZDF confirmed that the salvage barge had arrived off the south-west coast of Upolu island and would commence fuel extraction soon. In early January 2025 the NZDF commenced the first cycle of fuel removal. The second cycle commenced in late January 2025 and lasted 17 days, concluding during the first week of February 2025. In late May 2025, the
2025 New Zealand budget allocated NZ$77 million to writing off the
Manawanui for the 2024-2025
financial year. This sum included NZ$32 million for clean-up, salvage, and other remedial activities at the shipwreck site. By 30 May, Commodore Brown confirmed that the salvors' barge had returned to New Zealand with equipment and debris from the
Manawanui which could not be repurposed, along with the tanktainers containing the unusable diesel fuel, oil and seawater mix, the
azipod and the ship's anchors and chains. The NZDF also held a small ceremony to acknowledge the salvors, Pacific 7 Limited and Bay Underwater Services NZ limited. Brown also confirmed that the Defence Force was awaiting an independent draft wreck assessment.
Reactions The sinking of
Manawanui led to female members of the NZDF being subjected to abuse online and in person. Commander Gray was also abused by online commentators and was accused of being
hired due to her gender. On 10 October the New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins condemned these activities, labelling them a "deeply concerning misogynistic narrative". The Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral
Garin Golding, also called on the attacks to stop. The court of inquiry was headed by Commodore
Melissa Ross, who is a former Deputy Chief of Navy in the RNZN. The other members were Captain Andrew Mahoney from the RNZN, Group Captain John McWilliam from the
Royal New Zealand Air Force and Captain Dean Battilana from the
Royal Australian Navy. On 20 November 2024, the interim Court of Inquiry report on the sinking was received by the Chief of the Navy. It was handed over to a
King's Counsel for an independent legal review, with some of the key information released on 29 November. The inquiry found that human error was responsible for the sinking, including the failure by the crew to disengage the autopilot as the ship approached land and their belief that its failure to respond to commands to change direction was due to the failure of its thruster control. Former Samoan MP Tuia Pu'a Leota welcomed the initial finding and urged the Samoan government to do more to address local questions. Meanwhile,
Victoria University of Wellington political scientist Iati Iati called for an international inquiry into the sinking of the
Manawanui and criticised the timeframe of the New Zealand naval inquiry. The final report found that the Captain and 19 other members of her crew were under-trained, with several lacking the necessary qualifications and experience to operate the
Manawanui. The court of inquiry also found that the
Manawanui was under-equipped for its hydrographic surveying mission in Samoa.
Disciplinary proceedings and court-martial In November 2024, it was reported that separate disciplinary process would begun after the court of inquiry was complete, where three crew members (who were not initially named) may be disciplined. In April 2025, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding also confirmed that the RNZN would commence a "disciplinary investigation", On 2 March 2026, it was reported that the NZDF had laid charges against three naval officers, with one officer charged with "negligently causing a ship to be lost" by failing to disengage the autopilot and take manual control, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Gajzago charged with "negligently permitting a ship to be lost", and Commander Yvonne Gray charged with "negligently permitting a ship to be lost, or in the alternative, negligently failing to perform a duty" and "negligently failing to perform a duty". The charges will be heard by a single
court-martial. Gray has indicated that she will defend the charges during the court martial. ==Replacement==